Finnish alpha males go Esther Williams for breast cancer

• Wed, February 29 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

Wow, I never thought I’d get to write a headline like that.

Via the great Oscio blog, here’s an inspiring story about getting Finnish men behind the breast cancer cause.

Roosa nauha 2011 case study from McCann Worldgroup Helsinki on Vimeo.

(If you can’t see the video, watch it here.)

What made this work?  In my mind, it was effective because it wasn’t a publicity stunt.  Sure, it made great TV.  But at its heart, it was about showing courage and love.  And that’s how you get people to care.

Picture this: Your brilliance here

• Tue, February 28 2012
• Filed under: Fun stuff

For the month of March, I’m hosting the nonprofit blog carnival.  What that means is not cotton candy (sorry) but rather a mix of contributions from bloggers and readers on a shared theme, right here on my blog, on March 29.

This month’s theme is “picture this” because I feel we don’t do enough to pair great visuals with our stories.  Share your favorite pictures, infographics, videos or even tongue-in-cheek graphs—or tips on how great causes can better show the impact of their work with images. All entries need to include a visual (or it’s okay if they are simply an image).  In addition to featuring the best here, I will of course be creating a board on Pinterest.  Because I love it.

While you’re pondering that theme, check out the February carnival by Marc Pitman on how fundraisers can take care of themselves here.  It will tell you how to handle the sometimes stressful but always important work you do each day.

To enter the carnival for March, email your permalink to nonprofitcarnival at gmail dot com.

And here are two of my favorite visuals to get us started.

Photo posted by Martha Beck on ow.ly

Nonprofit marketing humor by Jan Fonger

What you must do to be remarkable - and what to do when you’re not in the mood for it

• Mon, February 27 2012
• Filed under: Writing

If you want to be remarkable, you have to be worth remark.

In other words, if you want people to open your emails, like you on Facebook or retweet your tweets, the single most important solution is to provide great content.  It’s that simple, I swear. People only share what you say when you provide something worth sharing.

That’s easier said than done, of course.  You may not have a brilliant ideas all the time.  So what do you do when the well is dry?  Here are some great tips from Copyblogger.  (Hat tip to Beth Kanter, who pointed me to the Copyblogger infographic.)

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

By the way, #3 is my favorite.  Keep sending me questions:)

Six ways to better influence your elected officials

• Fri, February 24 2012
• Filed under: Advocacy

All the presidential election drama dominating the news has me thinking about how we influence politicians and policy makers.  So does a presentation I recently heard from Brad Fitch, author of the Citizen’s Handbook.

Namely, how do you become a more persuasive advocate?  Can you make a difference for your issue?

Here are some key things to think about, based upon Brad’s recent research and tips on effective advocacy.

1. Remember that you and your supporters are more influential that you realize.  Elected officials care about re-election, so they listen to constituents.

2. The more individualized and personal the approach to policy makers, the more effective and influential it is.  A personal visit or personalized note beats a form letter.

3. Persistence pays off.  Squeaky wheels get the grease.

4. Appeal to the head.  Policy makers are wonky, so make a clear case for why you hold a position and have the data to support it.

5. Appeal to the heart.  Tell a good, personal, emotional story.  It will stick.

6. Appeal to health.  Political health, that is.  Show how your issue affects that official’s constituency directly.

It’s an election year, and you have a voice.  Use it for your cause!

 

4 Questions to ask before going mobile

• Thu, February 23 2012
• Filed under: Mobile

Photo courtesy of Big Stock Photo

Today I’ve got a guest post at Connection Cafe on what you should ask yourself before embarking on mobile.  I offer a quick look at the overall questions below, but check out the full post at here.

Hold please till you contemplate…

1. Who are your constituents and what are they like? Are they using smartphones? How do they typically support you? When are times when they might want to take action on mobile, and what types of actions are you hoping to inspire?

2. What resources do you have to commit to mobile? Do a quick reality check. What time, money, expertise and staff do you have to commit to mobile, and what does that say about the scope of project you can handle?

3. How will mobile fit into your other outreach efforts? Step back and look at mobile as a way to supplement, reinforce and enhance your other efforts, including donor acknowledgement, special events and social media.

4. How are you going to measure your efforts? How will you track the return on investment in cost savings or added donations? How about the return on engagement in the form of new supporters, added convenience for supporters, improved advocacy and brand exposure?

For more on this topic, visit Connection Cafe!

The three signs of social media hysteria - and how to avoid them

• Wed, February 22 2012
• Filed under: Social networking and web 2.0

According to a new report from Fenton on social media (download here after noon ET), there are several stages to what I would call social media hysteria.

Stage 1: Urgency.  As in, “Everyone’s doing it. We need to do be doing it. Set up a Facebook page. And start tweeting!”

Stage 2: Existential Handwringing.  As in, “Wait, what are we doing here? We’ve gotten some fans and followers but are we really attracting more donors and members this way?”

Stage 3: Disappointment.  As in, “This social media thing is a bust. It takes a ton of time and I’m not sure we’re getting enough out of it.”

Fortunately, this kind of angst is preventable by setting goals and measuring them in simple but meaningful ways.  Specifically, Fenton lays out an elegant framework:

“See” Metrics. These metrics track eyeballs or impressions.  They measure your exposure - though not necessarily your impact.

“Say” Metrics. These metrics are when people take your messages and repeat them verbatim across their networks.  This gives signs people may be more engaged with your cause.

“Feel” Metrics. These metrics track the degree to which people get involved with your message - they comment on your Facebook content or they react to your Tweets.

“Do” Metrics. These are the best - people donating, volunteering, signing a petition etc.  It’s where you want people to be!

For each metric, ask yourself:

Who is engaging?  What are they responding to?  What are they saying?  What does is mean?

This kind of questioning will lead to smarter reflection and better results.  Don’t wring your hands - just put on your thinking cap!

4 Things your supporters want

• Tue, February 21 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

Too often, we forget the needs of our supporters in the pursuit of our own needs.  And when we do so, we end up with double paucity: our supporters get neglected and we attract fewer resources to our cause.

People are complex, but as I’ve said along with my friend Mark Rovner, they have at least four needs in common.  When you fulfill these needs, you are better able to meet your own.

1: To be SEEN and HEARD

So acknowledge them.  Making someone feel seen and heard is the most powerful thing any of us can do with online communications.  On the other hand, not listening is the root of most problems, personal (just ask your partner!) and professional (just ask your co-workers!).

2: To be CONNECTED to someone or something

People are sociable creatures, and giving is a social act.  Engage by connecting to what your audience (NOT YOU) wants to hear.

3: To be part of something GREATER THAN THEMSELVES

We need to lay out the grand vision of our cause.  We should show how together we can leave the world a better place.  That means a hopeful, inspiring message.

4: To have the security of TRUST

People are starved for a sense of trust.  Use an authentic messenger, show where the money goes and honor the trust others have put in your organization with their support.

Want loyal supporters?  It’s not about gimmicks.

• Mon, February 20 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

Cartoon my Tom Fishburne, The Marketoonist.

• Be thankful.  It’s the most important and most neglected basic.

• Be clear.  Show where the money goes.  Consistently, over time.

• Be accessible.  Make sure supporters can find you when they need to.

It’s not about gimmicks.  You don’t need loyalty cards.  You simply need to behave in a way that inspires loyalty.

How should you think about mobile?  Here are some answers.

• Fri, February 17 2012
• Filed under: Mobile

As I mentioned recently, I’ve been working on free e-guide to mobile strategy in a partnership between Network for Good and Convio.  It is now available!  Download it here.

This guide walks you through the right questions to ask in considering mobile, the basics of a mobile strategy and tips on implementation.

Enjoy!
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The great power of making your audience part of your story

• Thu, February 16 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

People crave connection.  And when you ask someone to support your cause, you are inviting one of the deepest connections possible.  You are giving people the ability to change lives, the gift of attachment to others and the benefit of being part of something bigger than themselves.

(If you don’t believe me, just check out these personal mini-stories about Generosity Day!)

One of the best ways to make this connection visible and powerful is to include your audience in your story. 

Here’s a great example of that principle in action from Neuromarketing’s Roger Dooley.  St. Bonaventure University uses Facebook Connect to render their online experience for prospective students deeply personal and highly connected.

Check out the site yourself here, but some of the fun ways they connect with prospective students include: creating a college ID with your photo, describing how far the college is from where you live, and referencing how it will be to transition from your exact high school.  You become part of the story—and a student in spirit.  Nicely done!

How can you bring your community into your story?  You should.  After all, we’re all part of the same big narrative of changing the world for the better.

Do you have a video?  Submit it for an award!

• Wed, February 15 2012
• Filed under: Video

Forget the Oscars, I love the DoGooder awards.

Now in its 6th year, the DoGooder Nonprofit video awards program is presented by See3 Communications and YouTube in association with Cisco and the Case Foundation. The awards are completely free to enter and open to any eligible nonprofit organization in the U.S., U.K, Canada and Australia that created video in 2011.  The submission phase goes until February 29th, after which the public will have a chance to vote for the winning videos.  (See3 is the wonderful agency that brought you the Generosity Day video!)

This year, winners have the chance to win one of four $3,500 prize donations along with great products worth an additional $3,500 provided by the Cisco, a free registration to next year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference provided by NTEN and a special prize to recognize fearless use of video provided the Case Foundation. And– drumroll…the winning videos will be announced at this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN and featured on YouTube’s homepage on April 5th. (The YouTube part is sort of like having your nonprofit video seen during the Super Bowl - last year’s winners enjoyed over 1 MILLION new views after being featured here for just one day.)  For nonprofits, video is a great way to share your mission, messages and goals. The medium educates, communicates urgency and tells honest, human stories that move people to create change.

For more details, go here.

And that’s not all…. TechSoup also has an award program—their 2012 TechSoup Digital Storytelling Challenge.  Nonprofits can submit a one-minute video or five-photo slideshow to win award donations from TechSoup’s partners.  The deadline is February 29, so hurry.

Submit a one-minute video here.

Or five-photo slideshow here.

Or register for a free webinar on post-production (2/16) with David J. Neff of Lights. Camera. Help.

You are wonderful.  Happy Generosity Day!

• Tue, February 14 2012
• Filed under: Fun stuff

Please take a moment and check out today’s post.  (If you can’t see the videos, please click through to the post online.) There are some important things I have to say to you on the occasion of Generosity Day, when we all do good indiscriminately.

First, you are amazing for devoting a big part of your life to a good cause.  Here’s a video from the team at Network for Good (created by Laura and Allison) thanking you for your work.

Thank you!

And thanks to Sasha for inspiring this all in the first place.

My eight-year-old daughter showed me how Generosity Day is done by spending the past week writing a handmade note to each of her classmates highlighting something special about them.  Here’s what she wrote to a classmate and teacher.

Today should be all about love, as our friends at Jubilee remind us.

 

This Valentine’s Day, thank your supporters, be kind to those who confound you and love everyone you can.  Make it Generosity Day!

And please share what you do here. 

 

Is your organization bright, bold and visually salient?

• Mon, February 13 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

Dan Ariely of Predictably Irrational fame had an interesting recent post on Tropicana’s marketing debacle.

Remember that?

Photo from businessblunder.com

This redesign cost Tropicana a 19% plunge ($33 million) in sales in two months.  The company trashed the new look.

Dan Ariely points out that the initial explanation for the consumer revolt was the emotional bond that consumers had with the old packaging.  But further investigation revealed something more: The change made it harder to spot Tropicana on a store shelf or to differentiate it from other brands.  He wonders, “Is it plausible that simple visual features of choice options, such as a package’s color or brightness, influence consumers’ choices?”

According to a group of vision scientists, the answer is yes.  In a study, they found:

When consumers chose between items they prefer (such as a Snickers bar) and visually enhanced, i.e., brighter, but less preferred options (such as Sour Skittles), a significant portion of their choices was biased toward choosing the brighter, less liked, item. This visual saliency bias, or bias toward brighter-colored items, was even stronger when consumers made choices while being engaged in another cognitively demanding task, akin to talking on a cellphone while shopping in a grocery store.  Finally, the bias toward visually brighter items was especially strong when consumers did not have a strong preference for one item over another (i.e., choosing between Snickers and KitKat bars, which consumers stated they like almost equally).  The latter two variations of the experiment is highly representative of today’s competitive market place and consumers’ tendency to multitask.

So what do Skittles and OJ have to do with us?

I wonder if there is a lesson here.  While these studies are focused on bright colors as influencing impulse buying, I do think the concept of visual salience has broader application. Just as simple, easy to read type can make people more friendly to your words, I think bold, recognizable colors may help make people pay attention to you.  It’s at least worth a test. When you’re promoting your cause in a crowded, noisy space like on a bulletin board, at an event or side-by-side with other organizations online, try to visually stand out.  Ask, are you catching the eye?  How’s your visual salience?  I think it helps - and there’s a reason the cover of my book is bright orange and yellow:)

And for more on the topic, here’s an infographic via Karen Zapp with more on the influence of color.

Video: My thoughts on the art of in-house persuasion

• Fri, February 10 2012
• Filed under: Marketing essentials

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Susan Herr and the Communications Network about the art of in-house persuasion.  Susan summarizes the essence of this issue eloquently here. 

And here’s the interview.  (As as aside, I confess to some monkey and genius tendencies on my worst days.)  Fortunately, I’m surrounded by colleagues who do excellent in-house persuasion and collaboration.

Katya Andresen on the Art of In-House Persuasion from Communications Network on Vimeo.

Please take this Valentine’s Day pledge

• Thu, February 09 2012
• Filed under: Fun stuff

This February 14, let’s re-boot Valentine’s Day for good. 

(Thanks to the video wizards at See3 for generously contributing this video to the movement!)

Instead of forging V-Day connections with one person via chocolate, candlelight and a card, let’s forge G-Day connections with as many people as possible – including complete strangers – by saying YES on February 14th to every opportunity to be nice, help out, or delight with generosity.  It might mean tipping 100%.  Or telling a colleague how much you appreciate them and agreeing to that long-delayed lunch.  Or saying yes to that nonprofit canvasser on the sidewalk. 

Please pledge to participate here.  On this site, individuals and nonprofits can post how they are celebrating G-Day.  (It’s also a nice way to share your good work with a big audience, hint, hint.  Talk about your organization’s generous actions!) 

Thanks in advance for saying YES.